Tuesday, 20 September 2016

Louisa Dress in Needlecord

This dress is everything I wanted it to be and this new pattern purchase is everything I didn't want it to be. Let me explain...

I had a weak internet moment. I have not been knitting or crocheting much (niggly knitting shoulder) so I have taken to browsing pinterest in an attempt to satiate my crafty yearnings. I saw the Louisa dress on one of my boards and clicked further to investigate.

The pattern was so versatile. Sleeveless, short sleeved, 3/4 sleeved, contrast side panels, fully lined, half lined; the list seemed endless. I saw the potential to use up bits of left over fabric from my own dressmaking projects too. It even went from age 1 to 10. I have two girls who are 6 and 9 so I started to talk myself into it.

I needed to talk myself into it, it was 16 Euros, £13.54 or $18.00 for the paper pattern. I had already written off the cheaper PDF download because of my loathing for piecing A4 paper patterns together. So I clicked. I treated myself, and the girls, to the paper pattern. I was excited. A new indie pattern would be plopping onto the mat very soon. Eeek! £13.54...

AAGGGHHH! I had to print out the 18 page instructions myself, I opened the beautiful packaging to cut out the size I wanted to find the pattern pieces were all overlapping, the print was in light brown so it was hard to trace AND seam allowances were not included. Jeez, those are the most annoying things about patterns - why do it?

Anyway, I traced off the size 5 for Megan (on my own paper!) one evening, cut it out the next evening (adding seam allowances) and sewed it over the next two days. In hindsight I could have used my clothkits cord pinafore pattern and used the time I spent faffing around getting the pattern with drafting a pocket and some sleeves and kept my cash. There you have it, a perfect dress from an awful pattern.

I will stick with Ottobre magazine from now on. OK, so I have to trace off the patterns but for £10 I get a beautifully photographed magazine for my girls to peruse and a wardrobe of patterns for 20 items every back issue I buy.Rant over. She absolutely loves it because it is fully lined and feels all silky inside. The purple fabric is a really fine needlecord with a slight stretch from myfabrics.co.uk and the pocket is a gifted fat quarter. It has a massive pocket for treasures and she is mad for the colour purple. I added a crochet flower on a brooch pin using the free pattern on my sidebar.Thanks for dropping by, I will be more jolly next time, promise! Jo xx

The more I read about indie patterns and all their problems the more I see them as a complete rip off. There seem to be no end of fitting and size issues too. PDF patterns are incredibly expensive and then so much work. The print ones you would expect to be ready to go at the prices charged. So, I'm not going to be swayed over from buying main stream patterns from the big companies. They do a good job and there is lots that resembles stuff in magazines and from the independent designers too. All the messing around that you had to do would drive me mad. NOT good value for money at all!

I hope you get good use from the pattern though, the dress is lovely and your daughter looks beautiful in it.

I feel your pain, that was certainly an expensive pattern but her little face has got to be worth every penny. She is so thrilled with herself, her smile is so infectious she had me smiling. A beautiful dress and model.

Oh my goodness, after spending all that money, that is ridiculous!! At least the dress looks gorgeous!Everytime I read your blog, I end up singing "all at once am I several stories high, knowing I'm on the street where you live" for the rest of the day!! :)Maria x

If you buy the PDF-version, you can print it in a copy shop on A1 with the seam allowances includes + you can choose to print only 1 or 2 sizes. I love the Compagnie M patterns and have almost all of them.